FACT CHECK: Post Claims Syrian Christians Were Told Not To Have Public Displays Of Christmas

A post shared on Facebook claims Syrian Christians were told to not have public displays of Christmas.

Verdict: Misleading

There is no evidence that Syrian churches were told not to have public displays of Christmas.

Fact Check:

Social media users are claiming that the new Syrian government, led by an Islamist rebel group called HTS, told Syrian churches not told have public displays of Christmas.

“Syria: Today, churches in Syria were instructed not to hold Christmas celebrations, parades, or even display Saint Nicholas. The situation for Syria’s Christians is deteriorating rapidly,” one user wrote.

There does not appear to be any evidence of Syrian churches being ordered to not have public displays of Christians. Media outlets would have covered it, yet none have. France 24 reported that Aleppo’s Christians were preparing for Christmas.

“‘Continue to live normally, you’re coming up to your Christmas holiday, nothing will change for you,’” a Syrian Christian said to AFP when asked about what the new administration told him.

The Times of Israel reported that a non-profit interviewed Syrian Christians, who said they “were afraid for the first two or three days after the HTS takeover, but now feel they do not have any reason to be concerned, and churches are operating normally.”

Vatican News reported that Catholic Archbishop Hanna Jallouf, Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo, met with HTS leader al-Jolani, and said that the rebel leader had given “assurances that Christians and their possessions will not be touched, and that [the militants] will meet all our legitimate requests.”

Misbar also debunked this claim. (RELATED: Video Of Elon Musk and Giorgia Meloni Kissing Is AI-Generated)